Stop Oppression in Okinawa

Unsettling long dispute, Shinzo Abe administration started building main body of new United States Marine Air Base in Henoko district of Nago City, Okinawa, on Thursday. Although Japanese law requires approval of governor of the prefecture for the landfill, the national government dismissed the decision of Okinawan Governor, Takeshi Onaga, which overturn the approval issued by the predecessor. The constructor violently removed the protestors in front of U.S. Marine Camp Schwab in Henoko. U.S. President Barack Obama cannot ignore this oppression.

It was three weeks ago when Onaga killed the approval of landfill decided by former Governor Hirokazu Nakaima. National government overtook Onaga’s dismissal with reasoning of that regional government had to obey national policy this week. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reiterated the necessity of new base in Henoko in terms do national defense.

However, overwhelming public opinion in Okinawa supports Onaga, who took the seat with promise of no new military base in Okinawa, defeating Tokyo-leaning Nakaima last year. To construct new Marine base in Henoko sharply stimulates negative sentiment against Tokyo, which has been accumulated from coercive annexation of Okinawa to Japan in the nineteenth century.

Protestors around Camp Schwab chanted “Go home, go home,” to the constructors bringing building materials Thursday morning. Police arrested a man trying to block trucks of the constructor at the gate of the camp with suspicion of damaging plastic net for the construction. Still, the protestors denounced national government around the gate until it got dark.

Minister in charge of the issue, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, was not in Okinawa to talk with the people, but in Guam to see what was going on in relocation plan of U.S. Marine Base. Suga met with a Congressman from Guam and reported that construction of new base in Henoko was accordingly proceeding. “We received approval for the landfill from former Governor Nakaima. Since administrational decision has been made, we continue the process as an extension of it,” told Suga to the reporters. You’re wrong, Mr. Suga, the approval no longer exists.

Construction of Japan determines that every person is respected as an individual, the concept which consists fundamental basis of democracy. Protest against the military base is rooted in pursuit of happiness of the people in Okinawa. In addition, concentration of military base in Okinawa harms equality under the law that the Constitution also demands. Not only Japanese government, but U.S. government, needs to realize that this is highly unusual infringement of human rights in the history of Japan.